Does It Really Do That: Jupiter Jack

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - With the winter weather causing problems on the roads, it's more important than ever to keep both hands on the wheel and put down that phone.

But if you have to make a call, there are plenty of options on the market including the Jupiter Jack, the last product pitched by the late Billy Mays.

KDKA's Jim Lokay put the Jupiter Jack to the test to find out "does it really do that?"

The Jupiter Jack promises to let you talk hands free while driving. There are no wires, just a small radio transmitter that claims to let you talk through the air when you plug it into your phone and mount it on your dashboard.

Kim Neel, who has a degree in Safety Sciences, says one of her biggest pet peeves is seeing people on the phone while driving.

"As a safety professional, that is something I really keep my eye on, others and their lack of attention," said Neel.

Still, she admits to talking and driving - usually with her husband - but until now she says she has never used a hands-free device.

"I'm anti-technology, so it takes me a while to catch up to speed," said Neel. "So looking into any product that does that is kind of cool."

She also says she has never used her headset adapter.

To start the set up process, Neel finds that there are six possible jacks for the bottom of her phone. She finds the answer of which one to use on the side of her phone under a rubber cover.

Once in her car, she pre-sets her radio to 99.3 FM as instructed.

"Right now, just some static coming out of the speakers," said Neel after completing that step.

The next step is to call Neel's phone to see how the Jupiter Jack works through her stereo.

"It's ringing... hello? It's coming through," said Neel. "It's a little static-y, but it's coming through."

To continue the test, Neel decides make a call, "Hello? Hello. I'm calling you from Jupiter Jack on this end. Do you hear any static or feedback on your end?"

They find that there's no feedback and the sound was pretty clear; however it did sound a little hollow.

For the final verdict, Neel says she likes the Jupiter Jack.

"I think thumbs up," said Neel. "Yeah, I like it; for $20, yep."

Now, the caveats: In the ad they use a dashboard mount. However, it does not come with a mount.

So, you'll have to shell out $20 to $30 if you want one, but we found that the center console worked fairly well.

Also, there are only two settings for a radio frequency.

Pittsburgh's FM band is fairly cluttered, so there's a chance you may drive into a spot where you're hearing a little less of your spouse and a little more music.

Still, the price on the product can drop to about $10, and that's less than many Bluetooth hands free setups. So it's worth a try, and if doesn't work - depending on the store - you should be able to take it back.